Senate Judiciary advances SR 21 after inserting condemnation of named deaths; amended resolution moves to floor 4-1
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Summary
The Senate Judiciary committee approved two edits to SR 21, adding language that "unequivocally condemns the extrajudicial killings of Renee Goode and Alex Petrie" and a grammatical fix; the amendment instances passed 5-0 and the amended resolution was advanced on a 4-1 roll call.
The Senate Judiciary committee on Feb. 5 approved changes to SR 21, a resolution addressing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Operation Metro Surge, inserting a findings clause that "based on initial and substantive evidence... unequivocally condemns the extrajudicial killings of Renee Goode and Alex Petrie," and advanced the amended resolution to the floor on a 4-1 vote.
Michael Chernick, legislative counsel, told the committee he had been asked to make two edits to the chamber resolution: one substantive insertion and one grammatical change. "They are totally divisible, and you can be voting on them separately," he said, reading the proposed language that adds a findings-based qualifier and the explicit condemnation naming the two individuals.
The first change — the substantive insertion naming the two deaths and adding the phrase "based on initial and substantive evidence" — was presented as a separate, divisible amendment from a subsequent grammatical tweak to the penultimate line of the resolved clause. Chernick said the grammatical change was requested by Senator Baloo and does not alter the substance of the resolution. He noted the original document remains available in the journal and the legislative system for comparison.
Phil Mitchell moved to adopt the amendment instances; committee members confirmed that the two instances would be voted on together as a single motion covering both insertions. The committee took a roll-call vote on the amendments that was recorded as 5-0 in favor, and the chair then entertained a motion to report the amended resolution out of committee favorably, moved by Senator Gruff.
In the final roll call on reporting the amended resolution to the floor, Senator Norris voted no; Senators Baruth, Matos (also referenced as Maddox in parts of the record), Bechowski/Bechovsky and Hashim/Hachim voted yes, producing a 4-1-0 tally. One member said during the meeting they planned to explain their intention to vote against the measure when it reaches the full body on the floor.
A committee member also addressed questions about whether the resolution would be moot if Minnesota withdrew personnel from the operation; an unidentified senator said conversations with Minnesota legislators indicated some withdrawals were possible but that more than 2,000 ICE personnel would remain in Minneapolis even if roughly 700 were withdrawn, and therefore the resolution remained relevant to current circumstances.
The committee selected a senator to carry the measure to the floor and recessed to the next agenda item; Dave Hartman was scheduled to present a budget request at the committee’s next convening.
What the committee did: it adopted two amendment instances (a substantive insertion naming two deaths and a grammatical fix), approved those amendments 5-0, and then advanced the amended SR 21 to the full body on a 4-1 roll call. No substantive floor debate or external evidence was introduced in committee; the language in the resolution frames the committee’s finding as "based on initial and substantive evidence."
